Digitalization: Paths to optimized plastics production

In the past, it was difficult for companies without IT department to implement digitalization. It required considerable investment and personnel to set up and maintain the necessary IT infrastructure.

However, the new cloud solutions, particularly our e-connect customer portal, have made it much easier to get started:

• Local servers are no longer required.

• The costs are minimal, as the products can be rented inexpensively per machine and year.

• All the customer must do is wire up the machines. Then he can immediately benefit from the advantages of ENGEL's digital solutions in plastics production.

Getting started with digitalization is now easier and more convenient than ever. Our service technicians are also available on site to support customers during commissioning.

The digitalization of plastics production holds enormous potential, especially for injection molding contract manufacturing.

By utilizing modern technologies, companies can optimize their production processes and make them more efficient. Assistance, operations, and machine data collection systems enable precise monitoring and control of production processes. All of this helps alleviate the challenges posed by the shortage of skilled labor.

Ultimately, it's not just about optimizing production. It is also about increasing competitiveness and being successful in the long term. Digitalization offers SMEs the opportunity to:

• Act more flexibly,

• Utilize resources more efficiently,

• Drive innovation,

• Reduce costs by minimizing errors and rejects, and

• Improve product quality.

Our portfolio is extensive and all solutions are part of our product family inject 4.0 .

We offer:

• Intelligent assistance systems specially designed for ENGEL machines: They support the machine operator and the setup technician in finding the optimum settings and keeping the injection molding process constant.

• Traditional operating and machine data collection systems: These run externally from the machine and are also support third-party machines. They monitor process stability and machine efficiency, providing the necessary transparency over production and potential areas for optimization.

The results achieved are definitely measurable. With some customers, we've seen an increase in OEE by 9%. We have also managed to reduce scrap by over 60% and decrease clamping force by more than 50% on certain machines. These examples demonstrate that our proven solutions lead to tangible improvements.

With our digital solutions, we save energy in plastics production, protect the mold, increase production output and reduce material consumption.

Read more about this in our inject 4.0 brochure, featuring success stories from our customers.

At ENGEL, we have been working intensively on this topic for years and are pioneers in the industry. By using artificial intelligence in manufacturing, we can analyze data. This enables us to provide our customers with innovative solutions that give them a competitive advantage.

One example of this is our iQ process observer. Among other things, the assistance system automatically recognizes anomalies in the process and thus helps to ensure process stability. This happens automatically without the need for manual adjustments by an expert.

Another product is iQ weight control. The software automatically adjusts the process if it is negatively affected by environmental factors. This happens within the cycle, ensuring consistent part quality.

There is a vision that artificial intelligence can automatically detect rejects in manufacturing. This vision involves the machine producing a part and automatically determining whether it is of good quality. No manual or visual inspection, nor the installation of a camera system, would be required. It should be possible solely based on real-time data.

Furthermore, we aim to develop a self-optimizing machine. When quality issues are detected, AI should automatically adjust the machine settings to produce good parts again. With iQ weight control, we took the first step in this direction over 10 years ago, and it has been a success.

We see great potential in the digitalization of plastics production and artificial intelligence. Therefore, we are hosting the first "ENGEL Digital Days" from June 18 to 20 in St. Valentin and Schwertberg (Austria).

Visitors can look forward to a diverse program that offers practical insights:

• They can experience the digital assistance systems in action on ENGEL machines in the technical center.

• There will be informative presentations by customers on a wide range of digitalization topics.

• Of course, artificial intelligence will also be in the spotlight.